West Plains Daily Quill endorses Tommy Sowers

In the Eighth District contest, the Democratic challenger of incumbent U.S. House Rep. Jo Ann Emerson needs to succeed her. Tommy Sowers of Rolla is young, bright, energetic, thoughtful, a constitutional scholar, a teacher, a former Green Beret - and has no Washington baggage to impede making good decisions for the right reasons.

Emerson suffers from the same Beltway-interest infection as afflicts Congressman Roy Blunt. Her campaign advertising claims that she puts people before politics. She can claim that, but to me she seems to put herself before either; even both.

Emerson has been good at getting funding for some projects in our area of the Eighth District. However, some of the funds she produced have been children of hypocrisy. One project in our area for which she sought funding was in an appropriations bill she knew would pass. She voted against it.

When a lawmaker puts a funding request in a bill and then votes against it, that makes it clear her vote is meant to please her party first. She also rightly expects that the recipient, its patrons and her constituents will be grateful.

It was a good project and deserved federal funds. She is to be thanked for helping fund the project. But when she votes against that same funding it not only pleases her party and her constituents but also puts political capital in her bank for reelection.

There is an allegory about a principle followed by provincial villagers in Africa with limited understanding of the world. It goes, Me first, then my family, then my clan, then my village.

We don't live in villages; we live in troubled times in a troubled nation. We need someone who will put our nation first. Emerson seems to think that what is good for her is good for the nation. We need someone who believes what is good for the nation is good for him.

Vote for Tommy Sowers.

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